NOTE: On 1 September, Berlingske printed an excerpt of this article. Here it is published in full length for the members of Venneforeningen.
Picture this: an experienced TV host moderating a debate between three guests consisting of an art critic, a cultural politician and a violin virtuoso. The critic and the politician are articulate and send cascades of words into the ether. The last debater, the violin virtuoso, responds by playing an extract from Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto on his Stradivarius.
It would be a strange debate. It might be fun to try - but believe me, the violinist is guaranteed to lose. Because the language of music always falls short of words when it comes to discussion. But we musicians know that when the darkness descends in the concert hall, when music takes the floor, it is stronger and more convincing than a thousand arguments - and therefore we almost automatically fall into the belief that as long as we practice until our blood boils, as long as we play and sing world-class, we will be listened to.
The paradox is that when live classical music rarely makes it onto the agenda of politicians and the media, the debate is reduced to a discussion of various smart Excel solutions, simple snapshot ideas or lean logic.
That's why the voice of music, musicians and, not least, music lovers is urgently needed in the debate. There is simply a need for more people to speak out on behalf of music - not least in the ongoing debate about DR. I'm making a humble attempt here because I'm convinced that in Denmark we need more than ever the wordless moments, the sensual realisation, the cultural education and cohesion that lies in the encounter with live music.
In the living encounter between the audience, musicians and singers, the listeners' and performers' love of music merges into a unique, wordless community. A community where everyone is welcome and where everyone can join in. The experiences and realisations that music and singing give us are at once deeply personal and commonly human.
In the concert hall, the pensioner sits next to the school pupil, and the director shares a row with the student. The province meets the city, professionals with amateurs and the highly educated with those who just want to feel the rush. What they all have in common is that they love music. Music is the meeting place that can accommodate all their differences - and at the same time lift and enrich each of them personally.
The musical community also contains the seeds of our common education. Music and song help define us as people, as a society and as a country. We recognise ourselves and each other through music - from hymns, symphonies and battle songs to champagne gallops, bridal waltzes and the music to our favourite films. When we walk out of the concert hall, we don't need to exchange a word - because we've been on a journey together that can't always be explained or discussed.
But the community around the music doesn't just include those who have bought a ticket to the concert hall. Live music is available to all Danes through DR's choirs and orchestras - both live, when the ensembles tour the country each season, and digitally on a whole range of media channels and digital platforms. From bedtime songs with the DR Children's Choir to Danish songs with the DR Girls' Choir and DR VokalEnsemblet to symphonic blasts with the DR Symphony Orchestra and innovative jazz with the DR Big Band. A larger audience than ever - and of all ages - encounters live music in DR. They all benefit from the wholehearted commitment to the highest artistic quality in close interaction with the latest technologies and contemporary communication, which has been part of DR's DNA for almost 100 years.
On the wall in my open-plan office in DR Byen are two contracts from 1934 and 1935. Here, two great conductors, the Russian Nicolai Malko and the German Fritz Busch, have signed their contracts with the Danish Radio Orchestra - then called the DR Symphony Orchestra - with chamber singer Emil Holm. The three gentlemen set the quality bar high and laid the foundation for the artistic success and the large and broad audience that DR's choirs and orchestras have today. Those of us who have followed have been able to build on their efforts and their strong vision that the great musical moments should be accessible to everyone throughout Denmark.
Emil Holm's famous motto - ”The best, only the best” - is still our mantra in DR's choirs and orchestras. The DR Symphony Orchestra, DR VocalEnsemblelet, DR KoncertKoret, DR PigeKoret, DR Korskolen and DR Big Band are all strongly rooted in communication, journalism and broadcasting on media created by and deeply integrated into the DR media house. Known around the world for the highest artistic quality, for excellent recordings, for artistic courage, for innovative media productions, for collaborating with leading artists from all over the world - and for the ensembles' deep roots in Denmark's public service institution.
Believe it or not, we are a role model for many other countries. People look to us as a great example of how artistic quality can be firmly and successfully anchored in innovative technology and communication in a country where the best art is accessible to everyone regardless of economic and social status.
As a cultural institution and bearer of living classical music and jazz for almost 100 years, DR has transmitted music directly from the concert hall to listeners and viewers. Whereas in the beginning there was only one radio channel to broadcast on, today there are many different ways to experience the music. Radio, TV, the web and all the social media have a huge amount to offer - and the technical development continues, it's not over yet. In fact, it's only just beginning.
Music needs to be present on TV, radio and the web because it deserves to be heard - also by the next generations. Allowing live music to live in DR, which has as one of its most important goals to reach Danes digitally where they are, is a huge opportunity for music. An opportunity that must be utilised wisely and effectively for many years to come. At DR, live music and live musicians, composers and singers have a unique platform to reach a large audience. We must not miss this opportunity or throw it out with the bathwater.
We're nowhere near the finish line yet. There is a lot to learn, a lot to develop. Only with the help of new experiments and a lot of hard work can we find new ways for the digital life of music. DR is working hard to fulfil this task. As a responsible cultural institution, we are accelerating the development of live music and digital media to merge in new, ambitious productions and transmissions that almost dissolve the boundaries between live and broadcast. To the delight and enrichment of users, the music - and ultimately our cultural cohesion and self-understanding.
The language of music is wordless, but allow me to urge more music lovers to speak up for music and artists in the ongoing debate.
The wordless language of music is incredibly powerful, and anyone who masters it can, in principle, reach anyone who has the desire to let the music in. In the musical community, we remain silent, because when the concert starts, all we have to do is listen and be in the moment that flows towards us. For a moment, we are freed from all the millions of words that are suffocating us daily in an ever-growing stream of information and discussions. When the musical communion succeeds, a warmth spreads throughout the body. We allow ourselves to be touched and seduced, we get a moment of reflection, and we are together. This is where music can do something unique.
We must look after music, nurture it and ensure that it continues to flourish for generations to come. By preserving live music in DR, we give all Danes equal access to the gift of music - long into a new, digital age.